Mailbox Monday (July 16, 2012)

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in July by Mrs Q Book Addict.

A Girl Like You

by Maria Geraci

Every ugly duckling is a swan in waiting.

Emma Frazier is smart and hardworking, and loves her job as a journalist for a Florida lifestyle magazine.  Emma knows she's no great beauty, but she's pretty certain she has a shot with her handsome new boss, Ben Gallagher -- untiil Emma overhears a mutual acquaintance refer to her as the "ugly friend."  In an effort to reclaim her battered self-esteem, Emma decides to impress Ben at work by promising an exclusive interview with NASCAR legend Trip Monroe.

Emma and Trip went to high school together and although it's been fourteen years since they've spoken, Emma is sure she can score an interview with the elusive superstar.  But connecting with Trip turns out to be harder than Emma imagined.  Her quest for the interview leads her back to her tiny hometown of Catfish Cove, where old secrets and a new romantic interest shoake up Emma's views on life and teach her that maybe the key to finding true love is as simple as accepting yourself for the person you were always meant to be.

Saving June
by Hannah Harrington


Everyone's sorry.
But no one can explain why.


Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated.  So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going - California.


Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession. . . and an unknown connection to June.  When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him.  With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs.  Except. . . Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down -- again. 

Rainbow Colors
by Karen Szybalski


Everyday is a treasure hunt, when you're looking for rainbow colors.  This is a joyful, playful, romp which celebrates bright colors and bright ideas!


This illustrated poem and song can be enjoyed again and again!


Wonderful for children 4-7 years of age. 




What books came home to you this week?

Listening to Africa by Diana Raab (Book Review)

Title: Listening to Africa
Author: Diana M. Raab
Publisher: Antrim House


About the Book: Poet Diana M. Raab travels to the heart of Africa with her family to experience the beauty and fascination of another world. During her safari, she observes the distress, the delight, and the dignity of the humans and animals who live there and parallels them with her own quest for health.

Listening to Africa's Reviews
“Diana M. Raab makes a pilgrimage from the 'familiar neon of home’ in America to Africa, bringing her family, her passion and her pen. Her moving words carry us with her in narrative poems re-plete with vision, humor and irony. In her inner and outer journey, the poet transforms fear and sadness into beauty and love as her heart opens 'in this place which will remind you of your reason for living.’”
- Susan Wooldridge
author of poemcrazy: freeing your life with words

“Diana M. Raab takes us on a joyous poetic journey of words and photos. She juxtaposes her wisdom, essential wellness and depth of feeling in exploring four-legged friends, illness, and hope, making this an extremely powerful collection."
- Cara Nusinov
author of Unrequited Loves and Other French Kisses

My thoughts: I am not sure how to review a poem book, but I will do my best.  I did enjoy reading these - they are very quick - about a page each.  She has the book divided according to where she traveled in Africa as I am guessing she wrote as she traveled.  She has a way of taking what is everyday for the people in Africa and making it a one-of-a-kind event for the reader.  She weaves into these poems thoughts on her own health, her family, memories of her father and in this way connects her experiences with her home.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tribute Books in exchange for my review.~

Diana Raab's Bio:

Diana M. Raab is a memoirist, essayist and poet. She has a B.S. in Health Administration and Journalism, and an RN degree from Vanier College in Montreal, in addition to an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Spalding University’s Low-Residency Program.

Diana has been writing from an early age. As a child of two working parents, she spent a lot of time crafting letters and keeping a daily journal. A journaling advocate and educator, Diana teaches creative journaling and memoir in workshops around the country. She frequently speaks and writes about the healing powers of writing.

She’s the award-winning author of eight books, and the author of over 500 articles and poems. Her release is Writers on the Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Depression, co-edited with James Brown, which is a compilation of essays by renowned writers discussing how addiction has influenced their literary lives. She is also editor of Writers and Their Notebooks, a collection of essays written by well-known writers who keep journals.

Raab is the author of two memoirs, Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal, winner of the 2008 National Indie Excellence Award for Memoir and Healing With Words, the 2011 Mom's Choice Award Winner for Adult Nonfiction.

She is also a registered nurse who teaches in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and at various writing workshops across the country. She is the author of four poetry collections, My Muse Undresses Me (2007); Dear Anais: My Life in Poems for You (2008), winner of The Reader Views Award and an Allbooks Review Editor's Choice Award; The Guilt Gene (2009); and Listening to Africa (2012).

Her poetry and prose have appeared in national journals and anthologies such as Rattle, Rosebud, Litchfield Review, Tonopah Review, Writers' Journal, A Cafe in Space, the Toronto Quarterly, Common Ground Review, The Smoking Poet, Snail Mail Review, New Mirage Journal, Lucidity, Blood and Thunder, Jet Fuel Review, Ascent, and The Huffington Post.

You can connect with her in the following places:

Diana Raab's Web Site:

http://dianaraab.com/

Diana Raab's Blog:
http://dianaraab.com/blog/

Listening to Africa's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/ListeningToAfrica

Diana Raab's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/dianaraab

Diana Raab's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/512931.Diana_Raab

Listening to Africa's Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13579750-listening-to-africa

Diana Raab's Red Room:
http://redroom.com/member/diana-raab/blogTribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Listening to Africa blog tour site:
http://listeningtoafrica.blogspot.com

Listening to Africa
Publisher/Publication Date: Antrim House, March 2012
ISBN: 978-1-936482-18-4
80 pages

Release Day Promo: One Major Mistake by Starr Reina

 One Major Mistake

 Starr Reina

Publication Date: 7/10/12

Despite having brought down two major crime families, Pavel's life is still filled with problems. The two bright things in his world: Teresa Mancini, his fiancee, who, on a good day, has the ability to bring him to his knees and his daughter Rita Grace, a result of a whirlwind affair before he fell in love with Teresa.

Once again, murder is the prime evil propelling Pavel into his latest case.  After the murder of his partner and friend Nick Haxton's ex-wife Brenda, Pavel leads a team to dethrone Guillermo Diaz, the leader of a drug gang believed to be responsible for Brenda's death.  Detective Danni Stone joins the local agency.  Stone knows Diaz on the most intimate of levels, and wants to be present at his demise. 

During the investigations, not only does the team grieve with Nick over Brenda's death, they also deal with the loss of their long-time Assistant Director in Charge Steven Lazlo, who was gunned down in their own backyard.  Pavel has a particularly hard time dealing with Lazlo's death and is determined to hold everyone involved responsible.

As if Pavel can take anymore, Teresa receives a substantially large check from an anonymous benefactor, and insists that Pavel deal with it while she decides how to spend it.  But not before she uses her iron-willed determination to find out who the benefactor is even if it means breaking into her attorney's office looking for answers.  Being thrown in jail would stop any ordinary woman, but apparently not Teresa.

Join Pavel as he wades through harrowing situations, suspects aplenty and suspense in this third thrilling installment of the Ivanovich Series. 

Author Bio

A paralegal by day, she’s an author by night. Apart from being an award winning author for her short story "Cut", Reina has appeared in a blaze and made her mark on the literary world with her Ivanovich Series. The first is “In the Name of Revenge”, the second, “Deadly Decisions” and the third, "One Major Mistake" is to be released July 10, 2012. Having studied and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Literature/Creative Writing, she has found her unique style and is known for her works' distinctive voice, making every character stand out.

 Reina is the artistic creator of the Ivanovich series featuring Pavel Ivanovich. Flanking Ivanovich's side in "Deadly Decisions" is Teresa Mancini, who vies with Ivanovich for readers' attention. According to J.M. LeDuc, who was "raised in an Italian family", Teresa "is perfect...like all your characters". Reina is also the author of young adult novella "Cruel Whispers" and its sequel novel "Cruel Past".

 Reina is an executive editor for Suspense Magazine. She has been interviewed in the newspaper and on the radio with relation to her fiction work. She has been a co-host on Suspense Radio.

 She has won three Best Speaker awards as well as Best Evaluator at the Voice Ambassadors chapter of Toastmasters. Reina is a member of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles Chapter and nationally. She has always been active in events. As co-chair and main coordinator for the West Coast Author Premiere, she arranged the weekend-long event to help authors from all over network, learn and share their work with the public. Reina has also been instrumental in compiling authors and planning a local author event at Barnes and Noble in Ventura, California along with the store’s event manager.

You can connect with Starr on her website, Queen Writer; her blog - Queen Writer News, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Suspense Magazine.

It's Monday! What are you reading? July 9, 2012

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! 

Currently reading this week: 

Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce

The After Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer

Listening to Africa by Diana Raab

Upcoming books:
Beach Season by Lisa Jackson
Foreign Identity by Becca Campbell
Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond

Bathroom Book:

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Books reviewed last week: 

Summer Fit: First to Second Grade
Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf
Game of Secrets by Dawn Tripp

Books read and needing to be reviewed:

Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris

Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline

Until next week ----  Ready - Set - Read!

Game of Secrets by Dawn Tripp (Book Review)

Title: Game of Secrets
Author: Dawn Tripp
Publisher: Random House


About the Book: Jane Weld was eleven years old when her father, Luce, disappeared in 1957.  His skiff was found drifting near a marsh, empty except for his hunting coat and a box of shotgun shells.  No one in their small New England town knew for sure what happened until, three years later, Luce's skull rolled out of a gravel pit, a bullet hole in the temple.  Rumors sprang up that he had been murdered by the jealous husband of his mistress, Ada Varick.


Now, half a century later, Jane is still searching for the truth of her father's death, a mystery made more urgent by the unexpected romance that her willful daughter, Marne, has struck up with one of Ada's sons.  As the love affair intensifies, Jane and Ada meet for their weekly Friday game of Scrabble, a pastime that soon transforms into a cat-and-mouse game of words long left unspoken, and dark secrets best left untold. 


My thoughts: This was a very quick read and beautifully written.  I like the way all the stories intertwined with these families.  How Jane is now friends with the woman who was her father's mistress 50 years before - and her daughter and Ada's son are flirting with an attraction that is growing between them.  The three women - Ada, Jane and Marne - play the larger roles in this story and while the men they love (or who love them) figure in to the story, it is the women who you learn the most about.  While the story could not happen without them, these men seem sometime incidental. It gives the impression that life, love, family, history is all moved forward or sometimes stilted based on the women.


A lot of the story is learned as Ada and Jane play their weekly game of Scrabble. The words played or changed hint as to what lies in the past.  As to the murder of Luce, it had never been solved, though the women each had their beliefs as to what happened. It isn't the only mystery/secret that is discovered through the course of the book though.  One secret was obvious to me - the other was a secret until the end!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sparkpoint Studio, LLC in exchange for my review.~

About the author: DAWN TRIPP graduated from Harvard and lives in Massachusetts with her husband and sons. Her essays have appeared on NPR and online at Psychology Today. She is the author of two previous novels: Moon Tide and The Season of Open Water, which won the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction.


You can connect with Dawn at her website - Dawn Tripp or on Twitter.








Game of Secrets
Publisher/Publication Date: Random House, June 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8129-7148-4
272 pages

Cover Reveal! Empty Net by Toni Aleo

Empty Net (Assassins Series #3)

by Toni Aleo

Publication Date: Sept 10, 2012

Definition of an Empty Net: When a team pulls the goalie for an extra attacker, desperately seeking a goal.

Audrey Parker was in a horrible place.

She hated her job, her sister was getting married and moving out, but worst of all, she was in love with a total jerk.  No matter what she did, every guy she met hurt her.  All she wanted was her happily ever after.  Her Prince Charming.  Her Lucas Brooks!  She didn't know how to change her life but she knew she needed to. 

Feeling like she was about to hit rock bottom, Audrey wakes up next to Tate Odder. 

Tate Odder had lost everything.

After being brought up from the Assassins farm team, the Florida Rays to the Nashville Assassins, Tate hopes he'll forget everything he has lost.  He doesn't.  Each day gets harder to live in a place he doesn't know.  Even being the first rookie goalie to shut out an opposing team three times during the Lord Stanly Cup Finals, he still felt empty.  With the loss of his parents and sister still heavy on his heart, Tate isn't sure how to live like everything is okay.

But when he wakes up beside Audrey Parker, things start to change.  She turns his life upside down with her kooky sense of humor and her bright clothing.  She is intelligent and beautiful, and for once, he doesn't feel empty.  

Will Audrey be the person to fill the holes in Tate's heart, making him whole again?

Or will another player ruin everything, leaving him feeling forever like an empty net?

Get the first two books in the series!

Trying to Score - Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Taking Shots - Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Empty Net Book Trailer

  

And now for an excerpt from Empty Net:

“I have to tell you,” she said with a shy grin, “It’s usually not this easy.” 
He looked down at her questionably, “Easy how?” 
“This easy to pick me up. I usually make guys work for it.”
He grinned and her smiled grew more, “So you want me too?”
She eyed him, her face bright with excitement. He may have been a little too forward but he was a blunt person, and hardly ever hid his feelings from anyone.
She moved closer, her eyes bright with lust as she said, “I do and I don’t even know you’re name.”
“Do you want to know it?” he asked with a cocky grin.
She moved in close, her wide brown eyes locked with his, “All I want to know is when you can leave? I have a room not even a mile from here.” “I have to tell you,” she said with a shy grin, “It’s usually not this easy.” 
He looked down at her questionably, “Easy how?” 
“This easy to pick me up. I usually make guys work for it.”
He grinned and her smiled grew more, “So you want me too?”
She eyed him, her face bright with excitement. He may have been a little too forward but he was a blunt person, and hardly ever hid his feelings from anyone.
She moved closer, her eyes bright with lust as she said, “I do and I don’t even know you’re name.”
“Do you want to know it?” he asked with a cocky grin.
She moved in close, her wide brown eyes locked with his, “All I want to know is when you can leave? I have a room not even a mile from here.” 

Author Bio

I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.
I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it’s cause of my intense love for hockey!
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.
I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?


You can find Tony Aleo on her website, Facebook, and on Twitter.

Mailbox Monday - July 9, 2012

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in July by Mrs Q Book Addict.

The Zombie Generation

by Drake Vaughn

Warner is the sole survivor of a deathscape dominated by hordes of the undead.  Years of isolation and lack of any human contact has driven him to the brink of insanity.  Plagued with vivid hallucinations and shocking nightmares, he scours the deadlands for any signs of life.

While discovering a temporary cure for his creeping mental illness, Warner is attacked and infected with the deadly disease.  Switching between man and beast, he must decide on risking a desperate cure or attempting a suicidal quest to rescue a group of stranded survivors.  Worse, these survivors may only be a figment of his crumbling sanity.

The Zombie Generation is a terrifying tale, perfect for fans of horror and the flesh guzzling undead.

Schooled
by Tali Nay


"Do you have to have sex to have a baby?"


It's a question that ten-year-old Tali Nay asked the office assistant at her elementary school after the woman had done her best to explain how it all happened to a roomful of confused girls.  Or maybe Tali was the only one who was confused.  It's entirely possible, for if there's anything she knew at this point in her schooling, it was that she -- without fail -- was the last to know about anything interesting. Take her first day of kindergarten, where it turned out that every other kid already knew which letters were the vowels.  Her first lesson as a student was consequently one of humiliation, and her second -- only slightly less important -- was that puking in a classroom tends to start a chain reaction.  A refreshingly honest deep-dive into what we actually take away from a public education, this hilarious and heartfelt memoir captures the things we learn in school that are never part of any lesson plan yet somehow have the biggest impact upon the shaping of our perceptions over the years we spend in a classroom.  Things like competition, failure, scandal, popularity, disillusionment, triumph, guilt, and, of course, throwing up in public.  From the glorious to the gloriously awkward, this everyman tale is a story of growing up, one semester at a time. 

The Raven Boys

by Maggie Stiefvater

"There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve.  Either you're his true love. . . or you killed him."

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past.  Blue never sees them -- until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, and he's a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school.  Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys.  Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain.  He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys:  Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die.  She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem.  But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

India's Summer
by therese


India Butler, single and about to turn forty, travels to LA in an attempt to reinvent her life in a world rarely illuminated by the flashbulbs of the paparazzi, she discovers the true meaning of "having it all."

Nightwoods
by Charles Frazier


Charles Frazier, the acclaimed author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons, returns with a dazzling novel set in small-town North Carolina in the early 1960s. With his brilliant portrait of Luce, a young woman who inherits her murdered sister's troubled twins, Frazier has created his most memorable heroine.  Before the children, Luce was content with the reimbursements of the rich Appalachian landscape, choosing to live apart from the small coummunity around her.  But the coming of the children changes everything, cracking open her solitary life in difficult, hopeful, dangerous ways.  In a lean, tight narrative, Nightwoods resonates with the timelessness of a great work of art. 

Louder than Words
by Chelsey Shannon, Emily Smucker, Marni Bates
edited by Deborah Reber


Real Girls. Real Words. Real Life.


What do you get when you give talented teen girl writers a chance to share their life stories with the world?  The first-ever series of teen-authored memoirs:  Louder Than Words.  Each Louder Than Words book features a young author sharing her powerful story through unique prose, journal entries, and poetry.  Louder Than Words: The First Collection features three unique books written by three incredible teen authors in one riveting compilation.


In Marni: My True Story of Stress, Hair-Pulling, and Other Obsessions, Marni Bates brings us insider her secret world of "pulling" and the challenges of surviving high school while trying to hid an obscure stress disorder.


Then in Emily: My True Story of Chronic Illness and Mission Out on Life, Emily Smucker takes us through the senior year that wasn't when chronic illness forced her to miss out on one of the most important times of her life.


And finally in Chelsey: My True Story of Murder, Loss, and Starting Over, Chelsey Shannon uses writing as a way to recover from experiencing the unthinkable when her father was murdered the week before her fourteenth birthday. 

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf (Book Review)

Title: One Breath Away
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher: MIRA/Harlequin


About the Book: In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom.  Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.


Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands.  Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again.  Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care.  And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.


As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.


My thoughts: I liked the premise of this story and the way that it was told from five different points of view.  The narrators all came from different walks of life and are at different stages of life.  


Meg is a police officer with a child who attends Broken Branch school in Iowa.  On this day, however, her child is with her father for an early start to spring break. Even so, she feels close ties to the children still left inside.  


Will has two grandchildren at the school - grandchildren he just met for the first time weeks earlier.  He had an instant connection to P.J., and they have become very close.  However, P.J.'s sister Augie is a hard nut to crack.  She is much like her mother and Will has a hard time relating to her, in much the same way as his relationship with her mother, his daughter Holly, suffered.  


Augie has not given her grandpa much to work with though.  She grew up hearing her mother complain about her life on the farm and was prejudiced against him before she ever met him.  She would do anything for P.J. though and refuses to leave the school without him.


Holly is in a hospital bed thousands of miles away in Arizona.  She is suffering from burns that cover her hands, arms and part of her head.  Her mother and father flew out and it was the first time she had spoken to them in fifteen years. Her mother has stayed to take care of her and her father has flown home with her children. 


Mrs. Oliver is the third grade teacher whose class the gunman has entered.  It is through her that we learn what we can about the gunman and his motives.  She does her best to keep her class from harm, one of which is P.J.


These five narrators begin to paint a picture of Broken Branch and it's people.  The secrets that we choose not to see, the ones that we do.  Those that we are quick to blame when something goes wrong. I liked the way that secrets were revealed and tension was built.  Unfortunately I had figured out who the gunman was early on, just didn't have a clue to what his motive was.  


~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Media Muscle in exchange for my review.~


DON"T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY GIVEAWAY FOR A COPY OF THIS BOOK THAT ENDS ON JULY 16.


One Breath Away
Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA, July 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1365-6
384 pages

Summer Reads Giveaway Hop!

The Summer Reads Giveaway Hop is hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Rex Robot Reviews.  I am giving away one book for $10 or under from Book Depository - winners choice - but must have one of the following words in the title - Beach, Hot, Swim - or something that means one of those words (i.e. - Sand, Heat, Sizzle, etc).  Giveaway is open to any where that Book Depository will ship!

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One Breath Away (Scavenger Blog Tour and Giveaway)

One Breath Away

by Heather Gudenkauf

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom.  Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands.  Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care.  And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and how the fragile normalcy of our everyday life is so easily shattered. 

One Breath Away is touring with a Scavenger Blog Tour Hunt!  My excerpt is below, but I am number 7 on the tour so please visit this link to read all the excerpts! You can also join the author, Heather Gudenkauf for a live chat on July 26!  Click the picture for more details!

(Excerpt from One Breath Away)

Not sounding like my daughter at all. Augie is confident, smart, a take-charge, no one is ever going to walk all over me kind of girl.

“Augie? What’s the matter?” I try to blink the fuzziness of the morphine away; my tongue is dry and sticks to the roof of my mouth.

Interview with Heather Gudenkauf

What draws you to write suspenseful women’s fiction? I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a child – yes, I was one of those kids who did a fist pump whenever the teacher assigned a writing project -but as is typical with most writers, I was and am, first and foremost an avid reader. As a child my favorite place in the world was our public library and I spent as much time as possible with my nose in a book. I loved mysteries and plowed my way through all the Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew Mystery books. One of my favorite mystery series growing up was The Boxcar Children which I recently learned was originally published in 1924. I read all the books that were available when I was a child, and again as an adult I read them to my own children with enthusiasm. Who can resist a story about a tight knit set of orphaned siblings, an abandoned boxcar, a dog, and the mystery surrounding a long lost grandfather?

As I got older, I continued to enjoy mystery and suspense novels but my interests expanded to a variety of genres, including books that explored the intricacies of the human heart: Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, Elizabeth Berg’s Pull of the Moon, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and so many more. I’ve always admired the way writers could take me away to different places and times through the written word. I knew I wanted to try my hand at writing but didn’t sit down and seriously begin until after I was married and had my children.  But when I did, I remembered all the stories and books I’ve read through the years, remembered how deftly authors could arrange the words on a page to be suspenseful, heart wrenching, or heart-warming – to evoke all varieties of emotion. My hope is to do the same for my readers.

And last but not least - please enter to win a paperback copy of One Breath Away!  Giveaway is open to U.S./Canada only and will end on July 16, 2012 at midnight.

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Director's Cut by Janice Thompson (Book Review)

Title: The Director's Cut (Backstage Pass #3)
Author: Janice Thompson
Publisher: Revell Books


About the book: Tia Morales is used to calling the shots. She's the director of the popular sitcom Stars Collide, and her life on set is calculated and orderly. Well, most of the time. But her life outside the studio is another matter. If only she could get her family to behave as well as her stars do When she starts butting heads with handsome camera operator Jason Harris, it's enough to send a girl over the edge. Will she ever learn to let go and take life--and love--as it comes? 


Full of the humor and crazy family dynamics Janice Thompson fans have come to love, this colorful story gives readers an inside look at Hollywood and a healthy dose of romance.

Available June  2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

My Thoughts: I had the opportunity to read the second book in this series last fall (Hello Hollywood!) so wanted to learn what happened with some of the other characters that we met then.  This time we get to take a step into Tia's shoes.  As the director of Stars Collide they are some big shoes to fill!  Between her job, "flipping" her house, and her ongoing family drama she is under a lot of stress. She is beginning to feel some attraction to her head camerman, but as their relationship has previously only been to antagonize each other, she is not sure what she is feeling.

This was a lighthearted romance that moved along quickly and was fun to read.  I really liked Tia and enjoyed the family drama that she was going through (helps to put one's life in perspective at times). This book helps to see when it is important to be in charge and when you need to let go and let God be in charge. 

I haven't had the chance to read the first book in the series, Stars Collide, and may still go back and read it to be able to fill in any missing parts.  I did like that she added a little extra info at the end of the book to tell you what the characters did after the book ended - that was kind of fun!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my unbiased review.~

You can connect with the author at her blog Janice Hanna Thompson where she has been blogging with true stories about her career as a director.

The Director's Cut

Publisher/Publication Date: Revell Books, June 2012

ISBN: 9780800733476

296 pages

Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand (Review and Giveaway)

Title: Summerland
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company


About the Book: A perfect summer's night ends in a deadly crash -- and four lives are changed forever.


On a warm June evening, a local tradition continues: the students of Nantucket High gather for a bonfire on the beach.  But the celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver, Penny Alistair, dead, and her twin brother, Hobby, in a coma.  Penny's boyfriend, Jake, and her friend Demeter are unhurt but haunted by the events of that night, and by the questions that linger about what happened in the car -- and in the dunes before Penny took the wheel.


For Zoe, the twins' mother, the unthinkable awaits: life without her daughter, and an agonizing recovery for the son who had been a star athlete with infinite prospects.  Free-spirited Zoe has been as much friend as mother to her children, but now she has to face devastating truths about them, and about her own role in all that happened.


As summer unfolds, Zoe and the other parents ask whether their efforts to protect their children from life's realities have only left them more vulnerable.  The key to understanding the accident lies in what Penny learned that evening on the beach -- but will it also destroy the survivors' fragile peace?




My thoughts: This was only my second Elin Hilderbrand book and I enjoyed it even more than the first one.  Her characters are very human and easy to relate to.  The story is told by revolving around all of those involved - Hobby and his mom,  Zoe; Demeter and her parents, Al and Lynne; Jake and his parents, Jordan and Ava.  Each of their lives is touched by this tragedy and the surviving three kids each spend part of the summer wondering what set Penny off on her crash course that night, and dealing with the guilt because they each think they know what it was. Somehow they all have to learn to start living again.


For Hobby, he first must recover physically and that is a long road.  He is also more worried about his mom's acceptance of Penny's death than his own.  Jake is hauled off to Australia by his parents and while there watches his parents reverse roles.  To him it is just more of the same though and all he wants is to get back home to Nantucket.  Demeter never really felt accepted by any of them and starts to drown her loneliness and guilt more and more in the bottle. Little do they know that their parents have secrets, too.  


I would really recommend you add this book to your summer reading list!  And to help you out with that - please sign up for the giveaway below!  This giveaway is open to U.S./Canada only and will end on July 11 at midnight. 


Summerland
Publisher/Publication Date: Little, Brown and Company, June 26, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-316-09983-7
385 pages




a Rafflecopter giveaway

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hachette in exchange for my review.~

Summer Fit First to Second Grade (Book Review)

Title: Summer Fit First to Second Grade: Prepare First Graders Mentally, Physically and Socially for Second Grade
Author: Kelly Terrill
Publisher: Summer Fit Learning


About the Book:  Summer Fit is a new summer workbook series designed to keep children academically and physically engaged between grade levels.  Summer Fit uses an active and values-based approach to summer learning.


Research shows that the more children play outside the classroom, the better children perform inside the classroom.  Written by some of today's most energetic and engaged educators, Summer Fit creates an active learning environment using physical and academic exercises.  Grade-appropriate activities focus on reading, writing, language arts and math, while incorporating physical fitness exercises on a daily basis.  To reinforce and teach core-values, Summer Fit includes values-based activities highlighting some of the world's most inspiring leaders and humanitarians such as Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Terry Fox and Mahatma Gandhi.


Each Summer Fit workbook includes a 10-week motivational calendar to help you create a routine, give children choices and reward both academic and physical accomplishments.


Summer Fit includes:

• Daily activities and exercises for a 10-week program.
• Weekly values-based activities that inspire children and teach core values.
• FREE downloads to provide extra challenge in reading, writing, and math.
• Bicycle maintenance and safety activities by Mike and The Bike.
• Reading and mathematics activities based on national standards.
• On-line videos to show children how to properly perform fitness exercises.
• Activities and exercises that progress in difficulty so children are not overwhelmed.

My thoughts: This is a great book to keep your kids involved in learning in the summer. I chose to review the First to Second Grade as that is the age of my son right now.  The daily assignments are pretty quick to finish and are spot on as to grade level. There is a variety so he doesn't get bored.  I like the incentive charts also as that lets him earn some fun rewards.  (In his case this might be an evening at the pool or a movie with his sister - but it can also be as easy as a sundae with his choice of toppings.)  The daily work starts out with some physical stuff too -- like Hula Hoop, Jump Rope or Ankle Touches.  You are also given a website were you can go above and beyond the daily stuff for something a little more challenging.

If you are looking for something to keep your kids engaged this summer, they have workbooks that cover Preschool-Kindergarten up through 4th-5th grade. I highly recommend this series.  The toughest challenge I have had is getting mine to sit down long enough!

~ I received a complimentary copy of Summer Fit from Media Guests in exchange for my review.~

It's Monday! What are you reading? (June 25, 2012)

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! 

Currently reading this week: 

All He Saw Was the Girl by Peter Leonard

Summerland by Elin Hildebrand

The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson

Upcoming books:
Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkampf
After the Fog by Kathleen Shoop

Bathroom Book:

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Books reviewed last week: 

So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore

Spectral by Shannon Duffy

Books read and needing to be reviewed:

Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris

Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline

Until next week ----  Ready - Set - Read!